Child/Developmental
Psychology

Child/developmental
psychology explores all aspects of children’s and adolescent’s development and
adjustment. For example, developmental psychologists are interested in how
children grow cognitively, emotionally, interact with others, and the ways that
such growth is influenced by both biological and environmental factors.
Developmental psychology forms the basis for many professions related to
children. Some of the primary child-oriented fields within psychology employ
child-clinical psychologists, school psychologists, and educational
psychologists. Studying child/developmental psychology, however, is also
excellent preparation for work in the fields of social work, teaching, and
child welfare. At NIU, we offer several courses that provide a strong
background in child/developmental psychology, and we have several faculty who
specialize in developmental issues.